JP2008066595A - Liquid treatment equipment, liquid treatment method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide liquid treatment equipment which can control a location space of piping when supplying air adjusted in temperature/humidity to a liquid treatment unit for liquid-treating a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid treatment equipment includes an air suction passage 52 which sucks air in a clean room to take it into a driving power room, a temperature adjusting portion 65 which is located in the divided driving power room and adjusts the air taken in through the air suction passage 52 at least for a temperature, an air supply passage 51 for supplying the air from the air adjusting portion to a liquid treatment unit, a ventilation means 63 which sucks the air from the air suction passage 52 to supply the air through the air supply passage 51, and a cleaning filter 64 for cleaning the air taken in from the air suction passage 52. In addition, the air suction passage 52 and the air supply passage 51 are constituted so as to be formed of one and the other of an inside space of an inside pipe of a double pipe and a space between an inside pipe and the inside pipe of the double pipe. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid processing apparatus including a liquid processing unit that supplies a chemical solution to a substrate to perform liquid processing, a liquid processing method, and a storage medium that stores a computer program for performing the coating method.

  Conventionally, in a photoresist process, which is one of semiconductor manufacturing processes, for example, a resist film is formed by coating a resist solution on the surface of a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer), and the resist film is exposed in a predetermined pattern. Later, development is performed to create a resist pattern. Such processing is generally performed using a system in which an exposure apparatus is connected to a coating / developing apparatus for coating and developing a resist.

  Such a system is installed in a clean room, and an air downflow is formed in this clean room to suppress the scattering of particles, and this air has a predetermined temperature and humidity so as not to affect the processing of the system. It is controlled.

  In addition, the coating and developing apparatus is provided with various liquid processing units such as a resist solution coating unit for coating the resist solution and a developing unit for coating the developer and performing the development processing. When liquid processing is performed on a wafer in the unit, it is necessary to keep the processing atmosphere of the wafer at a predetermined atmosphere, and for this purpose, temperature-humidity controlled air needs to be supplied to these liquid processing units. Therefore, the coating / developing device is equipped with a temperature / humidity control unit that sucks air in the specified environment and controls the temperature / humidity of the sucked air, and a filter that cleans the temperature / humidity controlled air. An air supply unit is provided for supplying each liquid processing unit with air whose temperature and humidity are controlled by the unit.

  If the temperature / humidity difference between the air before and after temperature / humidity control is large, the load on the temperature / humidity control unit increases. Therefore, normally, temperature / humidity control is performed to reduce this load. The air in the clean room is sucked into the air supply unit, subjected to temperature and humidity control, and supplied to each liquid processing unit. However, in a limited space in a clean room, it is necessary to prioritize a device that directly processes wafers, such as a coating, developing device, and exposure device, so this air supply unit may be installed under the floor. In many cases, it is necessary to install an air supply pipe for supplying air in the clean room to the air supply section, and an air suction pipe for supplying temperature-humidity controlled air to the developing device from the air supply section. .

  As described above, the area of the clean room is limited, so in addition to the air supply pipe and the air suction pipe, gas and liquid for supplying the working power of the coating and developing device flow under the floor of the clean room. A very complicated and large piping network is formed, and the air supply pipe and the air suction pipe may have to pass through a slight gap formed between the pipes in this piping network. .

  By the way, in recent years, as the wafer size has increased, each processing unit in the coating and developing apparatus has also increased in size, and the resist pattern to be formed has become finer, so that the temperature and humidity can be controlled around the wafer with high accuracy. Therefore, it is considered to supply temperature-humidity controlled air not only in the processing unit but also in the wafer transfer area between the processing units. In that case, the air supply unit applies a lot of air. For example, until now, it was necessary to supply air controlled at a temperature and humidity of about 35 m3 / min, but in the future, it will be necessary to supply about 70 m3 / min. It is considered.

  In addition, it is necessary to increase the amount of air sucked into the clean room as the temperature and humidity controlled air supply increases. Therefore, it is inevitable to increase the diameter of the air supply pipe described above. In order to suppress the influence of outside air and control temperature and humidity with higher accuracy, it has been studied to provide a heat insulating material around the air supply pipe.

  However, as already mentioned, the utility-related piping network is very complicatedly installed under the floor of the clean room, and the air supply that has become larger due to the increase in diameter and the provision of heat insulating materials in this way The pipe and the air suction pipe cannot pass through the gap between the utility-related pipes and the pipes, and may be difficult to install. These air supply pipes and air suction pipes can be configured to be long, and for example, it can be arranged to be routed under the floor so as to avoid the above-mentioned piping network by bending a plurality of places, If it is bent too much, the temperature / humidity and air volume of the air flowing through the pipe cannot be controlled with high accuracy, and the wafer processing environment in the liquid processing unit or the like may be affected.

  In addition to avoiding the piping network, the air supply pipe and the air suction pipe must be arranged so as to avoid the beam of the building where the clean room is provided in addition to the utility related piping network. Due to various circumstances, the provision of the air supply pipe and the air suction pipe may be a burden for the installation work of the coating and developing apparatus.

Patent Document 1 discloses a mechanism for supplying clean air to a resist coating apparatus and collecting the supplied air, but does not solve the above problem, and Patent Document 2 discloses a processing apparatus. Although a mechanism for individually adjusting the atmosphere of each processing unit included in is shown, this also does not solve the above problem.
Japanese Patent No. 3375294 (paragraph 0045) Patent No. 3388706 (paragraph 0021, paragraph 0022)

  The present invention has been made based on such circumstances, and its purpose is to take in air in a clean room where the temperature and humidity are relatively stable, and at least adjust the temperature. It is an object to provide a storage medium including a liquid processing apparatus, a liquid processing method, and a program for executing the method that can reduce the installation space of piping when supplying the liquid processing unit for liquid processing.

The liquid processing apparatus of the present invention is installed in a clean room, supplies a chemical solution to a substrate to perform liquid processing, and heats the substrate before or after being subjected to liquid processing by the liquid processing unit. In a liquid processing apparatus including an apparatus main body including a heating unit for processing, and a transport unit that transfers a substrate between the heating unit and the liquid processing unit,
A utility room in which the atmosphere is partitioned by a partition member from the clean room,
An air suction path for sucking air in the clean room and taking it into the utility chamber;
A temperature adjusting unit provided in the utility chamber and for adjusting temperature at least with respect to the air taken in via the air suction path;
An air supply path for supplying air from the temperature adjustment unit to the liquid processing unit;
Ventilation means for sucking air from the air suction path and supplying air through the air supply path;
A cleaning filter for cleaning air taken in from the air suction path;
Including
The air suction path and the air supply path are respectively formed by one and the other of the inner space of the inner pipe of the double pipe and the space between the inner pipe and the outer pipe of the double pipe. And

This liquid processing apparatus may be further provided with, for example, a humidity adjusting unit that is provided in the utility chamber and adjusts the humidity with respect to the air taken in via the air suction path. It may be formed under the floor of the room in which it is placed. Further, for example, a plurality of liquid processing units are provided, and one liquid processing unit is a resist coating unit that applies a resist solution to a substrate, and other liquid processing units. Is a developing unit for developing a resist by supplying a developing solution to the substrate. Further, for example, an air outlet may be provided on the ceiling of the clean room, and the air suction path may be opened at the same height as the apparatus main body or above the apparatus main body.

  The apparatus may further include a first branch path for sucking air supplied to the liquid processing unit, one end of which opens to the coating unit and the other end of which is connected to the air suction path. The main body includes an electrical unit including electrical equipment, and further has one end opened to the electrical unit, and the other end connected to the air suction path. May be provided. Further, for example, the apparatus main body includes a chemical unit in which the chemical solution is stored, and has a third end for opening the chemical unit and the other end connected to the air suction path. In this case, for example, a chemical filter that removes chemical components contained in the air taken in via the air suction path is included.

The liquid processing method of the present invention includes a liquid processing unit that is installed in a clean room including a utility chamber in which an atmosphere is partitioned by a partition member, supplies a chemical solution to a substrate, and performs liquid processing. A liquid processing apparatus including an apparatus main body including a heating unit for heat-treating a substrate before being subjected to liquid treatment or after being subjected to liquid treatment, and a transfer means for transferring the substrate between the heating unit and the liquid treatment unit In the liquid processing method using
A step of sucking air in the clean room by an air suction path and taking it into the utility chamber in which the atmosphere is partitioned by a partition member from the clean room;
Adjusting the temperature of the air taken in through the air suction path in the utility chamber;
A step for supplying the liquid processing unit with the air whose temperature is adjusted by the air supply path;
Sucking air from the air suction path and supplying air through the air supply path; and
Cleaning the air taken in from the air suction path;
Including
The air suction path and the air supply path are respectively formed by one and the other of the inner space of the inner pipe of the double pipe and the space between the inner pipe and the outer pipe of the double pipe. And

  In this liquid processing method, for example, a step of adjusting humidity with respect to the air taken in through the air suction path provided in the utility chamber is included, and the utility chamber is below the floor of the room in which the apparatus main body is placed. Further, for example, a plurality of liquid processing units are provided. One liquid processing unit is a resist coating unit that applies a resist solution to a substrate, and the other liquid processing unit supplies a developing solution to the substrate. Development unit for developing the resist. Further, for example, a step of providing an air outlet on the ceiling of the clean room, and further sucking the air in the clean room through the suction path and taking it into the utility chamber can be performed at the same height as the apparatus main body or from the apparatus main body. Is also performed above.

  The liquid processing method includes, for example, a step of sucking air supplied to the liquid processing unit into an air suction path. For example, the apparatus main body includes an electrical unit including electrical equipment, and the atmosphere of the electrical unit is evacuated to the air suction path. A step of sucking. Furthermore, the apparatus main body includes a chemical unit in which the chemical solution is stored, and may include a step of sucking the atmosphere of the chemical unit into an air suction path. In this case, for example, the chemical unit is sucked into the air suction path. A step of removing the chemical component in the air is included.

The storage medium of the present invention is installed in a clean room, supplies a chemical solution to a substrate and performs a liquid treatment, and heat-treats the substrate before or after the liquid treatment by the liquid treatment unit. A storage medium storing a computer program used in a liquid processing apparatus including a heating unit for carrying out, and an apparatus main body provided with a transfer means for transferring a substrate between the heating unit and the liquid processing unit,
The computer program includes a group of steps so as to implement the liquid processing method described above.

  The liquid processing apparatus of the present invention takes in air in a clean room where the temperature and humidity are relatively stable, adjusts at least the temperature, and supplies the air to the liquid processing unit for liquid processing the substrate. Since the air suction path for taking in the air and the air supply path for supplying the temperature-adjusted air to the liquid processing unit are constituted by double pipes, the air suction path and the air supply path are The installation space for the air suction path and the air supply path can be reduced as compared with the case where the air suction path and the air supply path are disposed side by side. Even if there is something that obstructs the installation of the air supply path, the air supply path and the air suction path can be installed through the pipe network. Therefore, the installation work of these air suction passages and air supply passages is facilitated.

  A coating and developing apparatus which is an embodiment of the coating apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of the coating and developing apparatus. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a coating / developing apparatus main body, and an exposure apparatus S4 described later is connected to the coating / developing apparatus main body 1. The coating and developing apparatus main body 1 is installed in a clean room 11 maintained at a predetermined cleanliness, for example, in a semiconductor manufacturing factory. In the figure, reference numeral 12 denotes a bottom plate of the coating / developing apparatus main body 1, and the coating / developing apparatus 1 is grounded to a floor 14 constituting the clean room 11 via legs 13 provided on the bottom plate 12. Although not shown, the floor 14 has, for example, a grating (lattice) structure, and a large number of legs 13 are provided on the bottom plate 12, but only two are shown in FIG.

  The ceiling 15 of the clean room 11 is provided with a large number of fan filter units (FFU) 18 including a fan 16 and a filter 17 for removing particles, and the air whose temperature and humidity are adjusted by a temperature and humidity adjustment mechanism (not shown) Particles are removed through the FFU 18 to be cleaned and supplied toward the floor 14, whereby an air downflow is formed in the entire clean room 11. The filter 17 corresponds to an air outlet from the ceiling in the claims.

  A utility room 10 is provided under the floor of the clean room 11, and the atmosphere of the utility room 10 is partitioned from the atmosphere of the clean room 11. In the figure, 5 is a piping part 5 provided under the floor, and 6 in the figure is an air supply part provided in the utility chamber 10. Air is circulated between the air supply unit 6 and the coating / developing apparatus main body 1 via the piping unit 5.

  Next, the coating and developing apparatus main body 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of this system, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are the left and right schematic perspective views, and FIG. 5 is the schematic side view. The coating and developing apparatus main body 1 is configured by vertically arranging a carrier block S1 for carrying in / out a carrier 20 in which 13 substrates, for example, 13 wafers W are hermetically stored, and a plurality of, for example, 5 blocks B1 to B5. The processing block S2 and the interface block S3 are provided, and an exposure apparatus S4 is connected to the interface block S3.

  In the carrier block S 1, a mounting table 21 on which a plurality of the carriers 20 can be mounted, an opening / closing part 22 provided on a front wall as viewed from the mounting table 21, and a wafer from the carrier 20 via the opening / closing part 22. A transfer arm C for taking out W is provided. The transfer arm C can be moved forward and backward, can be raised and lowered, can be rotated about a vertical axis, and can be rotated about a vertical axis so as to transfer the wafer W to and from transfer stages TRS1 to TRS2 of blocks B1 and B2, which will be described later. It is configured to be movable.

  A processing block S2 surrounded by a casing 24 is connected to the back side of the carrier block S1. In this example, the processing block S2 is, from the lower side, a first block (DEV layer) B1, a second block (DEV layer) B2, and an antireflection film formed on the upper side of the resist film for performing development processing. (Hereinafter referred to as “upper antireflection film”) a third block (TCT layer) B3 for performing a forming process, a fourth block (COT layer) B4 for performing a resist solution coating process, and a lower layer of the resist film The fifth block (BCT layer) B5 for performing the formation process of the antireflection film (hereinafter referred to as “lower antireflection film”) formed on the side is assigned.

  These blocks B1 to B5 extend from the carrier block S1 toward the interface block S3. Here, the DEV layers B1 and B2 correspond to blocks for development, and the TCT layer B3, the COT layer B4, and the BCT layer B5 correspond to blocks for forming a coating film for forming a coating film made of a photosensitive material such as a resist. Each block is partitioned by a partition plate (base body) 25.

  Subsequently, the configuration of the first to fifth blocks B (B1 to B5) will be described. In this embodiment, these blocks B1 to B5 include many common parts, and each block B has a substantially similar layout. It consists of Therefore, the DEV layer B1 will be described as an example with reference to FIG. In the central portion of the DEV layer B1, a transfer path R1 for transferring the wafer W for connecting the carrier block S1 and the interface block S3 in the lateral direction, specifically in the length direction of the DEV layer B1 (Y direction in the figure). Is formed.

  As viewed from the carrier block S1 side of the transport path R1, a plurality of liquids for applying a developer as a liquid processing unit are provided on the right side from the front side (carrier block S1 side) to the back side. A developing unit 3 including a processing unit is provided along the conveyance path R1. In addition, on the left side from the front side to the back side of the DEV layer B1, four shelf units U1, U2, U3, U4 in which heating / cooling thermal processing units are sequentially arranged in the transport path R1 are provided. It is provided along. That is, the developing unit 3 and the shelf units U1 to U4 are arranged to face each other via the conveyance path R1.

  The shelf units U <b> 1 to U <b> 4 are configured by stacking two thermal processing units for performing pre-processing and post-processing of processing performed in the developing unit 3. An exhaust unit that exhausts the air in the block B1 is provided below the shelf units U1 to U4.

  Among the thermal processing units described above, for example, a heating unit that heat-treats the wafer W after exposure, heat-treats the wafer W after development processing, or the processing in this heating unit. A cooling unit for adjusting the wafer W to a predetermined temperature later is included.

  A chemical unit 41 is provided on the front side of the developing unit 3. The chemical unit 41 is provided so as to straddle the DEV layer B1 to the TCT layer B3, for example, and includes a housing 42, for example. A container D containing various chemicals supplied to the wafer W by a liquid processing unit of each layer such as a developing solution and a resist solution is accommodated in the housing 42.

  An electrical unit 43 is laminated on the chemical unit 41 and is provided so as to straddle the COT layer B4 and the BCT layer B5. The electrical unit 43 includes, for example, a housing 44, and various electrical devices E such as a power source for driving each drive unit of the coating and developing apparatus main body 1 are accommodated in the housing 44. The configurations of the developing unit 3, the chemical unit 41, and the electrical unit 43 will be described in detail later.

  An area adjacent to the carrier block S1 in the transfer path R1 is a first wafer transfer area R2, in which the main arm A1 and the transfer arm C are located as shown in FIGS. A shelf unit U5 is provided at an accessible position, and a delivery arm D1 that is a lifting and lowering conveying means for delivering the wafer W to the shelf unit U5 is provided.

  In the shelf unit U5, for example, two delivery stages TRS1 are stacked on the DEV layer B1. The transfer stage TRS1 includes a stage having a mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the wafer W to a predetermined temperature. Further, in order to transfer the wafer W to each arm, a pin that can project and retract is provided on the stage. It has been.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 5, each of the blocks B2 to B5 is provided with two delivery stages TRS2 to TRS5. The delivery stages TRS2 to TRS5 are provided with main arms A2 to A5 and delivery arms provided on each layer. D1 and the wafer W can be transferred.

  The transfer arm D1 is configured to be movable back and forth and up and down so that the wafer W can be transferred to the transfer stages TRS1 to TRS5 provided in each layer by moving from the block B1 to the block B5. ing. In addition, the transfer stages TRS1 and TRS2 are configured to transfer the wafer W to and from the transfer arm C in this example.

  Further, a region adjacent to the interface block S3 in the transfer path R1 of the DEV layer B1 is a second wafer transfer region R3, and a shelf unit U6 is provided in this region R3. As shown in FIG. 5, the shelf unit U <b> 6 is provided with a transfer stage TRS <b> 6, and the transfer stage TRS <b> 6 is configured so that the wafer W can be transferred between the main arm A <b> 1 and the interface arm G. Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 5, the shelf unit U6 of the blocks B2 to B3 is provided with two delivery stages TRS7 to TRS8, and these TRS7 to TRS8 are respectively connected to the main arms A2 to A3 of each layer and The interface arm G is configured to be accessible. Note that TRS2 to TRS8 are configured in the same manner as TRS1 described above, for example.

  Further, an exposure apparatus S4 is connected to the back side of the shelf unit U6 in the processing block S2 via an interface block S3. The interface block S3 is provided with an interface arm G for transferring the wafer W to and from the shelf unit U6 and the exposure apparatus S4 of the processing block S2, and can be moved back and forth, raised and lowered, and rotated about the vertical axis. It is configured. The above-described delivery arm D1 is also configured in the same manner as the interface arm G except that it does not rotate around the vertical axis.

  Next, other unit blocks will be briefly described. The DEV layer B2 is configured in the same manner as the DEV layer B1 described above. The BCT layer B5, the COT layer B4, and the TCT layer B5 are configured in substantially the same manner as the DEV layer B1. The difference is that in the liquid processing unit corresponding to the developing unit 3, an antireflection film is formed instead of the developing solution. The chemical solution or the resist solution is used, the method of applying the chemical solution is different, and the processing conditions in the heating system and cooling system units are different.

  Next, the developing unit 3 and other liquid processing units, the chemical unit 41, the electrical unit 43, and the piping unit 5 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The piping unit 5 includes an air supply pipe 51 for supplying air to the coating / developing apparatus main body 1, a processing atmosphere and coating of the developing unit 3 of the coating / developing apparatus main body 1, and a clean room 11 in which the developing apparatus main body 1 is installed. The air suction pipe 52 for supplying the air to the air supply unit 6 is provided.

  Under the floor where the coating and developing apparatus main body 1 is provided, the air suction pipe 52 has a so-called double pipe structure covering the air supply pipe 51, and the air from the coating and developing apparatus main body 1 toward the air supply unit 6 is 6 circulates around the air supply pipe 51 as indicated by arrows in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the piping part 5 indicated by a chain line in FIG. Further, the inner diameter of the air suction tube 52 indicated by L2 in the drawing is, for example, 250 mm to 300 mm.

  Next, the piping unit 5 will be further described with reference to FIG. The air supply pipe 51 and the air suction pipe 52 extend from below the floor toward the floor. For example, the air suction pipe 52 forms, for example, a diameter-enlarged portion 53 between the floor 14 and the coating and developing apparatus main body 1. The inside of the enlarged diameter portion is configured as a ring-shaped ventilation chamber 54. One end of a connection pipe 55 that communicates with the vent chamber 54 is connected to the enlarged diameter portion 53, and the other end of the connection pipe 55 extends upward along the chemical unit 41 and the electrical unit 43. Is connected to one end.

  The other end of the standing suction pipe 56 penetrates the housing 24 of the processing block S2 and forms an opening 56a at a position higher than the coating and developing apparatus main body 1. The downflow flows to the clean room 11 through this opening 56a. The air to be discharged is sucked into the standing suction pipe 56. Further, in the standing suction pipe 56, a plurality of suction ports 56 b are opened on the side walls facing the chemical unit 41 and the electrical unit 43. For example, these suction ports 56 b are formed in the internal space of the housing 42 of the chemical unit 41 and the electrical unit 43. It communicates with the internal space of the housing 44. As will be described later, when air is sucked through the opening 56 a by the air supply unit 6, the inside of the housing 42 of the chemical unit 41 and the housing 44 of the electrical unit 43 are connected through the suction ports 55. Exhaust is performed. Each suction port 56b corresponds to a second branch path and a third branch path in the claims.

  One end of an atmosphere suction pipe 57, which is a first branch passage communicating with the ventilation chamber 54, is connected to the enlarged diameter portion 53, and the other end of the atmosphere suction pipe 57 is connected to the developing unit 3 of the DEV layer B1. For example, it is connected below. In the figure, reference numeral 30 denotes a housing of the developing unit 3, and a plurality of liquid processing units 31 are provided in the housing 30 as described above, and the liquid processing unit 31 holds a wafer W and rotates a chuck 32. , And a drive unit 33 for driving the chuck 32, and a cup 34 having an open upper side is provided around the chuck 32 to prevent the liquid from scattering. The cup 34 is provided with an exhaust pipe 35 for exhausting the inside of the cup 34 and an exhaust means 36, and a drainage mechanism (not shown) is also provided. In the drawing, reference numeral 54 a denotes an end of the atmosphere suction pipe 54 and a suction port opened in the housing 31. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the atmosphere suction pipe 57 is not shown in order to avoid complicated drawings.

  A cleaning filter 37 that cleans the air by removing particles contained in the air is provided at the top of each application unit 31. The cleaned air is downflowed and supplied around the application unit 31. Is done. A flow path 38 for supplying air to the cleaning filter 37 is formed above the cleaning filter 37.

  Since the liquid processing units of the blocks B1 to B5 are configured in substantially the same manner as described above except that the suction port 54a is not provided, the liquid processing unit (lower antireflection film) of the block B5 in FIG. The forming unit) is also indicated by the same reference numeral 3 as that of the developing unit, and each part thereof is indicated by the same reference numeral as that of each part of the developing unit 3.

  On the floor 14, the above-described air supply pipe 51 extends in parallel with the standing suction pipe 56 and extends upward so as to straddle the DEV layer B1 to BCT layer B5, and a communication hole provided on the side wall thereof. Via the 51a, it communicates with the flow path 38 of each liquid processing unit 3 of the DEV layer B1 to BCT layer B5 described above. In the liquid processing unit 3 of the DEV layer B1 to BCT layer B5, the air flowing through the air supply pipe 51 flows into the flow path 38 and is down-flowed into the housing 31 via the cleaning filter 37, so that the DEV layer B1 The air down-flowed to the developing unit 3 further flows into the atmosphere suction tube 57 through the suction port 57a.

  Next, the configuration of the air supply unit 6 will be described. The air supply unit 6 includes a partitioned flow path 61 and an air supply chamber 62. The flow path 61 has a proximal end portion of the air suction pipe 52, and the air supply chamber 62 has a proximal end portion of the air supply pipe 51. Are connected to each other. A fan 63 which is a ventilation means is interposed in the flow path 61, and the fan 63 draws air from the air suction pipe 62 into the flow path 61 and discharges it to the downstream side of the flow path 61. A chemical filter 64 and an air temperature / humidity adjusting unit 65 are provided in this order on the downstream side of the fan 63.

  The chemical filter 64 is a chemical substance such as a chemical component contained in the sucked atmosphere when the atmosphere of the chemical unit 41 is sucked and flows into the flow path 61 as described in the column of the action of the coating and developing device. Remove.

  The air temperature / humidity adjustment unit 65 corresponds to a temperature adjustment unit and a humidity adjustment unit in the claims, and includes a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a humidifier, a heater, and the like. The control signal is received, the temperature and humidity of the air flowing from the upstream flow path 61 are adjusted to a predetermined temperature and humidity, and the temperature-humidity adjusted air is provided downstream of the flow path 61. Supply to the supply chamber 62. The air supplied to the air supply chamber 62 flows through the air supply pipe 51 and is supplied to the coating and developing apparatus main body 1.

  The coating / developing apparatus includes a control unit 100. The control unit 100 has a program storage unit including, for example, a computer. Temperature adjustment of the wafer W in each heating and cooling unit, film formation processing of each film on the wafer W, hydrophobization processing to the wafer W, delivery of the wafer W between the units, coating, air supply to the developing device main body 1 A program made up of, for example, software in which an instruction is set so that supply, suction of air from the clean room 11 to the air supply unit 6 and the like is performed is stored. When the program is read by the control unit, the control unit controls the operation of the coating and developing apparatus. The program is stored in the program storage unit while being stored in a storage medium such as a hard disk, a compact disk, a magnetic optical disk, or a memory card.

  Next, the operation of the above-described coating and developing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. First, air is supplied from the FFU 18 of the clean room 11 in which the coating and developing apparatus main body 1 is installed, and an air downflow is formed in the clean room 11. Subsequently, the heater and the humidifier included in the air temperature / humidity adjustment unit 65 of the air supply unit 6 are operated, and the apparatus is put on standby so that the temperature and humidity of the supplied air can be controlled to a predetermined temperature and humidity.

  When the air temperature / humidity adjustment unit 65 is ready to adjust the temperature / humidity of the supplied air, the fan 63 of the air supply unit 6 operates and flows down to the clean room 11 through the opening 56a of the standing suction pipe 56. The air is sucked into the standing suction pipe 56 and the atmosphere in the housings 42 and 44 of the chemical unit 41 and the electrical unit 43 is sucked into the standing suction pipe 56 through the suction port 56b of the standing suction pipe 56. Further, air in the housing 30 of the developing unit 3 is sucked through the suction port 57a of the atmospheric suction pipe 57 in the developing unit 3 of the DEV layer B1 of the coating and developing apparatus main body 1.

  The air that has flowed into the atmosphere suction pipe 57 and the standing suction pipe 56 flows into the air suction pipe 52 where these pipes merge via the respective diameter portions 53, circulates downstream of the suction pipe 52, and below the floor It flows into the flow path 61 of the gas supply unit 6. The air that has flowed into the flow path 61 passes through the chemical filter 64 of the air supply unit 6, the chemical substances contained in the air are removed, and further passes through the air temperature / humidity adjustment unit 65 to reach a predetermined temperature and humidity. It is adjusted and supplied to the air supply pipe 51.

  The temperature and humidity adjusted air supplied to the air supply pipe 51 flows into the liquid processing units 3 of the blocks B1 to B5 of the coating and developing apparatus body 1 and is provided with a cleaning filter provided in each liquid processing unit 3. The flow is downflowed from 37 to each processing unit 31 of the liquid processing unit 3.

  Thereafter, the carrier 20 is carried into the carrier block S1, and the wafer W is taken out from the carrier 20 by the transfer arm C. The wafer W is transferred from the transfer arm C to the transfer stage TRS1 or TRS2 of the shelf unit U5 → the transfer arm D1 → the transfer stage TRS5 of the shelf unit U5 → the main arm A5 of the BCT layer B5. In the BCT layer B5, the main arm A5 is transported in the order of the cooling unit → the antireflection film forming unit which is a liquid processing unit → the heating unit → the delivery unit TRS5 of the shelf unit U5 to form the lower antireflection film. .

  Subsequently, the wafer W of the transfer stage TRS5 is transferred to the transfer stage TRS4 of the COT layer B4 by the transfer arm D1, and then transferred to the main arm A4 of the COT layer B4. In the COT layer B4, the wafer W is transferred by the main arm A4 in the order of the cooling unit → the resist coating unit which is a liquid processing unit → the heating unit, and after the resist film is formed on the lower antireflection film, It is conveyed to the exposure unit, the peripheral edge is exposed, and further conveyed to the delivery stage TRS4 of the shelf unit U5.

  Next, the wafer W of the transfer stage TRS4 is transferred to the transfer stage TRS3 of the TCT layer B3 by the transfer arm D1, and transferred to the main arm A3 of the TCT layer B3. In the TCT layer B3, after the main arm A3 is transported in the order of the cooling unit → the second antireflection film forming unit, which is a liquid processing unit → the heating unit, and the upper antireflection film is formed on the resist film, After being transported to the delivery stage TRS8 of the shelf unit U6, it is transported to the exposure apparatus S4 by the interface arm G, where a predetermined exposure process is performed.

  The wafer W after the exposure processing is transferred to the transfer stage TRS7 or TRS8 of the shelf unit U6 by the interface arm G, and the wafer W of this stage TRS7 (TRS8) is the main arm A1 (A2) of the DEV layer B1 (DEV layer B2). In the DEV layer B1 (B2), it is conveyed in the order of heating unit → cooling unit → developing unit 3 → heating unit → cooling unit included in the shelf units U1 to U4, and a predetermined developing process is performed. . The wafer W thus developed is transferred to the transfer stage TRS1 (TRS2) of the shelf unit U5 and returned to the original carrier 20 placed on the carrier block S1 by the transfer arm C. For example, when the processing of a predetermined number of wafers W is completed, the fan 64 is stopped and the power supply to the air temperature / humidity adjusting unit 65 is stopped.

  According to the above coating and developing apparatus, the temperature and humidity are adjusted by taking in the air in the clean room 11 in which the temperature and humidity are relatively stable, and the liquid is used to perform various liquid treatments on the wafer. In supplying to the processing unit 3, an air suction pipe 52 for taking in air in the clean room 11 under the floor of the clean room 11 and an air supply pipe 51 for supplying temperature-adjusted air to the liquid processing unit. Since it is composed of a double pipe, the installation space for the air supply pipe 51 and the air suction pipe 52 is reduced as compared with the case where the air supply pipe 51 and the air suction pipe 52 are arranged side by side. be able to. Therefore, even if there is something that obstructs the installation of the supply pipe 51 and the suction pipe 52 such as a utility-related piping network of the coating apparatus 11 under the floor of the clean room 11, the air supply pipe 51 and the air pass through the piping network. Since the suction pipe 52 can be installed, the installation work of the air supply pipe 51 and the air suction pipe 52 is facilitated.

  The air supply pipe 51 is covered with the air suction pipe 52, so that the air flowing through the air supply pipe 51 is suppressed from being affected by the environment under the floor of the coating and developing apparatus main body 1. Therefore, since the temperature and humidity of the air are suppressed from changing before the air is supplied to each liquid processing unit 3, the atmosphere of each liquid processing unit 3 can be controlled with high accuracy.

  Further, since the opening 56 a of the standing suction pipe 56 is provided at a position higher than the coating and developing apparatus main body 1, the air taken in from the opening 56 a is a temperature due to heat generated from the coating and developing apparatus main body 1. Since it is possible to suppress the influence of changes and particle contamination, the loads on the air temperature / humidity adjusting unit 65, the chemical filter 64, and the cleaning filter 37 are further suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the power consumption required by the air temperature / humidity adjusting unit 65 to adjust the temperature / humidity, and to suppress the frequency of replacement of the chemical filter 64 and the frequency of replacement of the cleaning filter 37.

  Further, since the atmosphere of the chemical unit 41 is sucked during the wafer W processing, the vapors of various volatilized chemicals are prevented from being diffused around the chemical unit 41, and the volatilized chemicals cause the chemical unit 41 to be dissipated in each processing unit. The processing atmosphere of the wafer W is suppressed from being affected. Further, since the atmosphere of the electrical unit 43 is sucked during the wafer W processing, the heat of the electrical unit 43 is dissipated to the surroundings, and particles are emitted from the drive unit such as a fan included in the power source of the electrical unit 43. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the diffusion to the coating and developing apparatus main body 1, and therefore, the processing atmosphere of the wafer W in each processing unit is suppressed from being affected by the heat and particles.

    Subsequently, other embodiments of the coating and developing apparatus are shown in FIGS. Note that this embodiment is configured in substantially the same manner as the above-described embodiment except for the following differences, and the same reference numerals are given to the components configured in the same manner as the above-described embodiment. ing. The end portion of the atmosphere suction pipe 58 connected to the enlarged diameter portion 53 of the piping portion 5 of this embodiment branches, and is connected to, for example, each developing unit 3 of each of the blocks B1 to B2, and within each developing unit 3 housing 30. It is comprised so that air can be attracted | sucked. In addition, the atmosphere suction pipe may be further branched, and the end portion of each developing unit may be connected to the B3 to B5 liquid processing units.

  In this embodiment, a suction tube 59 is connected to the enlarged diameter portion 53 instead of the standing suction tube 56, and the end of the suction tube 59 opens to the floor 14 as shown in FIG. 59a is formed. When the fan 63 is operated, the air down-flowed to the clean room 11 through the opening 59a flows into the suction pipe 59 and further flows into the air suction pipe 52 below the floor.

  FIG. 12 shows still another embodiment. This embodiment is formed in the same manner as the coating and developing apparatus described first, but the exhaust pipe 35 of the cup 34 of the developing unit 3 of the DEV layer B1 is connected to the atmosphere suction pipe 57, and the fan 63 is By operating, the air in the developing unit 3 flows into the suction pipe 52 below the floor through the exhaust pipe 35 and the atmosphere suction pipe 57.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, for example, the flow rate of air (referred to as α) supplied to the air supply unit 6 by the air suction pipe 52 and the air supplied to the developing apparatus main body 1 by the air supply pipe 51 are used. The flow rate (below β) has been described as being equal. However, if the flow rate α is lower than the flow rate β, for example, air is supplied to the air supply unit 6 separately in the flow path 61 or the air supply chamber of the air supply unit 6. A supply mechanism may be provided. In the above-described embodiment, when the flow rate α is 50% with respect to the recovery rate, that is, the flow rate β, for example, the air supply amount of the air supply pipe 51 is 20 m 3 / min to 25 m 3 / min.

  The air supply unit 6 is not limited to being provided below the floor of the clean room 11, and may be provided, for example, in the adjacent space separated by a wall from the clean room 11 provided with the above-described coating and developing device.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the coating and developing apparatus which is an example of the coating device of this invention. It is a top view which shows embodiment of the said application | coating and image development apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows embodiment of the said application | coating and developing apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows embodiment of the said application | coating and developing apparatus. It is a vertical side view of the coating and developing apparatus. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which showed the piping structure of the said application | coating and developing apparatus. It is sectional drawing of piping. It is the perspective view which showed the circumference | surroundings of the enlarged diameter part of the said piping. It is explanatory drawing which showed the flow of the air of the said application | coating and developing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which showed the piping structure of the application | coating and developing apparatus of other embodiment. It is a perspective view of the said coating and developing apparatus main body. It is sectional drawing which showed the piping structure of other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

W Semiconductor wafer B1 Carrier block B2 Processing block B3 Interface block B4 Exposure apparatus 3 Development unit (liquid processing unit)
5 Piping section 51 Air supply pipe 52 Air suction pipe 56 Standing suction pipe 57 Atmospheric suction pipe 6 Air supply section 65 Air temperature / humidity adjustment section

Claims (19)

A liquid processing unit that is installed in a clean room and performs liquid processing by supplying a chemical solution to the substrate; and a heating unit for heat-processing the substrate before or after liquid processing by the liquid processing unit; In a liquid processing apparatus including an apparatus main body provided with a transport unit that transfers a substrate between a heating unit and a liquid processing unit,
A utility room in which the atmosphere is partitioned by a partition member from the clean room,
An air suction path for sucking air in the clean room and taking it into the utility chamber;
A temperature adjusting unit provided in the utility chamber and for adjusting temperature at least with respect to the air taken in via the air suction path;
An air supply path for supplying air from the temperature adjustment unit to the liquid processing unit;
Ventilation means for sucking air from the air suction path and supplying air through the air supply path;
A cleaning filter for cleaning air taken in from the air suction path;
Including
The air suction path and the air supply path are each formed by one and the other of the inner space of the inner pipe of the double pipe and the space between the inner pipe and the outer pipe of the double pipe. Liquid processing equipment.   The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a humidity adjusting unit that is provided in the utility chamber and adjusts humidity with respect to air taken in through the air suction path.   3. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the utility chamber is formed under a floor of a room in which the apparatus main body is placed.   A plurality of liquid processing units are provided. One liquid processing unit is a resist coating unit that applies a resist solution to a substrate, and the other liquid processing unit is a developing unit that supplies a developing solution to the substrate and develops the resist. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid processing apparatus is provided.   5. The air outlet according to claim 1, wherein an air outlet is provided in the ceiling of the clean room, and the air suction path is opened at a position equal to or higher than the height of the apparatus main body. A liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The first branch path for sucking the air supplied to the liquid processing unit, having one end opened to the coating unit and the other end connected to the air suction path, is provided. The liquid processing apparatus according to any one of 1 to 5.   The apparatus main body includes an electrical unit including electrical equipment, and has a second branch for sucking the atmosphere of the electrical unit, one end of which is open to the electrical unit and the other end is connected to the air suction path. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a path.   The apparatus main body includes a chemical unit in which the chemical solution is stored, and further has one end opened to the chemical unit and the other end connected to the air suction path, and a third branch for sucking the atmosphere of the chemical unit. The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a path.   The liquid processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a chemical filter that removes a chemical liquid component contained in the air taken in through the air suction path. A liquid processing unit that is installed in a clean room having a utility chamber in which an atmosphere is partitioned by a partition member, supplies a chemical solution to the substrate, and performs liquid processing, and before or after liquid processing by the liquid processing unit. In a liquid processing method using a liquid processing apparatus including a heating unit for heat-processing a subsequent substrate, and an apparatus body including a transfer unit that transfers the substrate between the heating unit and the liquid processing unit,
A step of sucking air in the clean room by an air suction path and taking it into a utility chamber in which the atmosphere is partitioned by a partition member from the clean room;
Adjusting the temperature of the air taken in through the air suction path in the utility chamber;
A step for supplying the liquid processing unit with the air whose temperature is adjusted by the air supply path;
Sucking air from the air suction path and supplying air via the air supply path;
Cleaning the air taken in from the air suction path;
Including
The air suction path and the air supply path are respectively formed by one and the other of the inner space of the inner pipe of the double pipe and the space between the inner pipe and the outer pipe of the double pipe. A liquid processing method.   The liquid processing method according to claim 10, further comprising a step of adjusting humidity with respect to the air provided in the utility chamber and taken in through the air suction path.   The liquid processing method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the utility chamber is formed under a floor of a room in which the apparatus main body is placed.   A plurality of liquid processing units are provided. One liquid processing unit is a resist coating unit that applies a resist solution to a substrate, and the other liquid processing unit is a developing unit that supplies a developing solution to the substrate and develops the resist. The liquid processing method according to claim 10, wherein the liquid processing method is provided.   An air outlet is provided on the ceiling of the clean room, and the step of sucking the air in the clean room by the suction path and taking it into the utility chamber is at the same height as the height of the device main body or above the device main body. The liquid processing method according to claim 10, wherein the liquid processing method is performed.   The liquid processing method according to claim 10, further comprising a step of sucking air supplied to the liquid processing unit into an air suction path.   The liquid processing method according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus main body includes an electrical unit including electrical equipment, and includes a step of sucking the atmosphere of the electrical unit into the air suction path.   17. The liquid processing method according to claim 10, wherein the apparatus main body includes a chemical unit in which the chemical liquid is stored, and includes a step of sucking an atmosphere of the chemical unit into an air suction path.   The liquid processing method according to claim 17, further comprising a step of removing the chemical component from the air sucked into the air suction path from the chemical unit. A liquid processing unit that is installed in a clean room and performs chemical processing by supplying a chemical solution to the substrate; and a heating unit for heat-treating the substrate before or after the liquid processing by the liquid processing unit; A storage medium storing a computer program used in a liquid processing apparatus including an apparatus main body including a transfer unit that transfers a substrate between a heating unit and a liquid processing unit,
A storage medium characterized in that the computer program includes a set of steps so as to implement the liquid processing method according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

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